It was Prime Minister David Lloyd George who, with General Jan Smuts, identified the need for what was to become the world’s first independent air force, partly in response to German Zeppelin raids on London in 1916-17.

The result was an Order in Council made by His Majesty George V resulting in the union of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps to form the Royal Air Force.

Then, as now, it was recognised that there was no limit to the use of air power in the defence of Britain and her interests.

While the British were not the first to make use of heavier-than-air military aircraft, the RAF is the world’s oldest independent air force: that is, the first air force to become independent of army or navy control. It was founded on 1 April 1918, with headquarters located in the former Hotel Cecil, during the First World War, by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). At that time it was the largest air force in the world. After the war, the service was drastically cut and its inter-war years were relatively quiet, with the RAF taking responsibility for the control of Iraq and executing a number of minor actions in other parts of the British Empire. Naval aviation in the form of the RAF’s Fleet Air Arm was returned to Admiralty control on 24 May 1939.

The RAF developed its doctrine of strategic bombing which led to the construction of long-range bombers and became the basic philosophy in the Second World War.

This remains true and has been demonstrated by aircraft ranging from the The Sopwith Camel which is reputed to have shot down more enemy aircraft than any other Allied aircraft in World War One, to the RAF’s modern Eurofighter Typhoons which now guard the UK’s airspace 24 hours a day, 365-days a year.

And today control of the air is the key to success in any military intervention, without it, our soldiers and sailors could be vulnerable to attack from the air.

On the battlefield in Afghanistan, RAF Merlin and Chinook squadrons provide rapid mobility for ground forces and provide critical medical evacuation.

Meanwhile, RAF Tornado ground attack and reconnaissance squadrons provide vital protection when our troops are engaged by insurgents and the ability to strike at targets at long range.

And our airborne ‘eyes and ears,’ our intelligence gathering Sentry and Sentinel squadrons, gather information to provide decision makers with an essential understanding of an evolving conflict.

For these reasons Prime Minister David Cameron has described the RAF as “completely and utterly essential,” to the nation.

Source: RAF